Catch-Up

Well it has been awhile since I posted on our blog.  This week has been a bit hectic, but I finally have a little free time.  Alan had two soccer games last week and he had a great time.  He was focused, attentive, and had a lot of fun with his teammates.  I love the way the team interacts with him and how they all get along.  It is nice to see him making friends.  We are making a lot of changes to Alan's ABA programs and I am hoping with all these new changes we will see improved results in his conversation skills.  He is doing so great with ABA that I feel in a couple of years he will no longer need it.  I cannot wait for that day where we can be just a family without strangers coming in and out of our house all week.  I do not want to say being normal because well we will probably never be that normal family which I think is great.  Its good to be different and think outside of that box.  What fun is it to be just normal.  My son makes me laugh everyday with his quirkiness and great sense of humor, and I would not trade that for anything. 

This past weekend we decided to change the playroom into an even better playroom. We added a nice comfy couch, cable box just for the kids, Wii gaming system, and a nice 10' caterpillar named Jeffrey.  All of this was my husband's idea.  He always seems to come up with some great ideas and so glad he is here to help implement them.  Now, the 10' caterpillar might have been one of those "what were you thinking" buys but the kids love him.  Jeffrey was kind of hard to resist, just look at that face. 

I brought our daughter to see the Princess on Ice show and wished I would have brought Alan with us.  He would of enjoyed it too.  I guess next year's Mickey's Magic Show will have to make up for it.  It was a good day though.  Daddy and Alan spent some quality time together.  They went to Little Gym and then a train ride which Alan enjoyed a lot.

We also met with Alan's supervisor of his ABA program and I see great changes about to occur.  I like the fact we no longer need intensive teaching or table time.  He is such a smart and fast learner that he no longer needs that.  We no longer need to document behavior because well he rarely has behavior problems.  I call them just being 5 because well that is what it is.  He has an opinion and not afraid to express it.  I love the fact we will start doing community outings and show Alan what is out there for him to do.  I think we are about to start the fun ABA therapy.  It was all fun but I just felt he needed a change and this will help him interact with kids his age more and we can really work on those conversation and interaction skills.

We also had a visit from an old friend I guess I could say.  Alan's OT came to visit and see Alan.  It was nice to hear all the comments of how much he has improved and grown.  I enjoy all of these compliments because knowing what we did to help our son made all of it worth it.  I always wonder if I push my son too much and too hard.  Now, I just want to keep going because I can see that finish line.  It does not seem too far now like it did in the beginning.  I know now that all the hours Alan has worked paid off and he will be able to function in the real world.  He will graduate high school and go off to college.  We are lucky parents to have such wonderful children.  They are a joy every day.

Great Day and a Great Game

Another great day in our little world.  Alan had a great day at school today.  He came home and did his reading program and then we played a few games.  After a few games I told him I needed to do some paperwork so I laid on the floor with my paperwork and began to work.  He came and laid right next to me slipped his hand between my arms and snatched my phone.  He loves playing Angry Birds on my iPhone.  So we laid next to each other me doing my paperwork and him playing a game.  I want to say this moment was priceless.  I had a friend ask today if I ever thought Alan would be where he is today.  After the diagnosis I set so many short and long term goals so that I had something to strive for.  He has met all my goals faster than I would have thought.  My ultimate goal was for him to eat and communicate and he is flourishing with that.  My next goal was for him to go to Kindergarten and he worked so hard and met that goal.  I was asked what do I want now and that is for him to no longer need therapy and just be a kid.  I know he will meet this goal and I look forward to that day because I think that deserves a big party. 

We had a soccer game tonight and he had so much fun.  He interacts so well with his team.  He talks and laughs with them.  It is amazing to see him socialize and interact with other children.  He brings joy and laughter to everyone he meets.  He is a joy to me and I look forward to everyday with him.  I just love when he talks because he makes me laugh at least twice a day.  He has a great personality and I am so happy he shares it with everyone.

Great Day!

Display my Art

Alan's school is having another fundraiser that I do not mind participating in.  Its all about him so what parent would not want to buy your child's art.  At www.displaymyart.com his art is displayed for all to see and buy.  His order number is 277366, for the State of South Carolina (SC).  I would love an interpretation.  As soon as my order comes in I want him to sit down with me and explain what he drew and why.  Its really remarkable how far he has come from not being able to draw lines last year to make this. It is a huge improvement from last year and I cannot wait to see more of his art.

Knock Knock Joke

My son finally make me laugh with his knock, knock joke.  While dressing for school he put on everything but his shirt.  When attempting to put on his shirt one arm came through and he left the other in the shirt.  He then said knock knock using his hand to knock from the inside.  I said, "Whose there", he said "hand", I said "hand who", he said "Hand wants to come out, hand wants to come out" in a really funny voice.  Its one of those things that you have to be there and  hear him.  It was so hilarious.  So proud he finally made a joke.  I always laugh at his other jokes but this one truly made me laugh so hard I cried. 

Soccer Game

Last night, Alan had another great soccer game.  He was a bit tired during his game so he did not play as well but he still followed all the rules and gave it his best.  Afterwords, we picked up Chick-Fil-A for dinner.  I had a support group meeting this night so we had to have a quick meal.  With the kids safe with their babysitter I was off to Mt. Pleasant for the meeting.  There were 19 of us in the room and we all shared our stories with each other.  It was difficult to hear from the mom's with older children and their struggles of having teenagers with Autism.  It was also great to hear how each family overcame these obstacles and how well their children are doing.  I am excited that this support group was started and I hope that we can help many parents in the future. 

Today, Alan had a great day at school.  He came home and wanted to play with his trains.  I told him he could play for a few minutes until his therapist came.  Well low and behold once "JD" arrived he came down about 5 minutes later and went straight to the play room.  That was awesome because usually he stays up there until the therapist gets him.  He had a great session with "JD".  His SLP came as well and she did some assessment testing.  Another great day in therapy land. For dinner I fixed Chicken and Rice.  Alan ate the chicken with some french fries.  He ate all his chicken and asked after dinner if he could watch "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom".  He said he would finish all his dinner so he could watch it.  He loves that show.  Put the kids to bed with no problems and now I am taking a well deserved break.  Till Tomorrow!

Today

Alan had another great day at school.  He rode with his friend to school and rode home with his friend from school.  It is so nice to have a great neighbor that is willing to carpool.  Our son's are both in Kindergarten and attend the same school so it really helps out a lot.  Katie got to sleep in this morning which I believe helped her with her energy today.  Alan had therapy today with his new therapist "S".  She deals mostly with Art and has some really great ideas for helping improve Alan's art skills.  I like the fact she also teaches me different ways to teach Alan how to do certain daily aspects by using chores around the house.  Today she taught Alan how to fold towels.  I asked if he would help with the laundry now and he was super excited, that he wanted to go do it right then and there.  Told him first I have to wash them.  He said "Hurry up and wash the clothes mommy so I can fold them".  My son says the cutest things.  "S" also worked on his soccer skills and he did really well.  Loving our new therapist. 

This weekend

Had a great time this weekend with the kids.  Took Alan and Katie to a park after school.  It is amazing how I can sit on a bench and just watch Alan instead of running after him.  He use to be a runner with no idea about dangers and now I can sit and relax and let him and his sister play.  I am simply amazed at how far he has come in so short amount of time.

On Saturday, we went to Little Gym and Katie was singing the Alphabet along with a TV show and she was having trouble.  Alan kept fussing at her saying she was not doing it right.  So I turned off the movie and asked Alan to teach his sister the ABC's.  At first he went really fast.  I had to remind him she did not know the Alphabet and he had to do it slowly.  He would say a letter then wait for her to repeat it.  They did this 3 times until Katie said no more Alan.  He said "Ok Katie, Mommy can I watch TV now".  The little things again just amaze me.  He did great at Little Gym.  They had Little Zoo and he brought his snake as a zoo animal.  They did relays which Alan did really well.  He does so good in Little Gym.  Listens and has great focus with his teachers. 

On Sunday, which I feel is probably one of the best days yet.  There were two girls at the playground and Alan and Katie started playing with them.  A little girl had a whistle and there playing race.  He actually took instructions from a peer and listened to her.  He had so much fun playing with those girls.  He listened and played with them without one single incident where I had to step in.  They understood everything he said and did.  Truly amazing to watch and not have to help or prompt.  When we were leaving he said by to them without prompt and used their names.  He also said "I am going to miss them mommy".  He did get a little sad but I told him we would probably see them at the playground again.  When we got home he talked about what they did at the playground and said he had "Super fun".  Love that word "Super" (Thanks Daddy) :-).  Of course I have no pictures and forgot my camera I could have videoed it.  I will now be bringing my phone everywhere to make sure I catch everything little thing he does. 

This morning he woke up in a great mood.  Ate his breakfast while watching Special Agent OSO.  Love this show by the way.  He did his bathroom stuff and got dressed without any help.  My little boy is growing up.  My neighbor brought him to school this morning and will be doing so all week.  Its nice to have a neighbor who has a child in the same grade as Alan.  Carpooling is so nice.  I hope he has a great day and looking forward to hearing about his day when he gets home.

Soccer Game

Alan had 2 soccer games this past week.  On both games he did great.  He gave it all on his first game which went 20 minutes over the time due to time keeping issues from the coaches.  Other than that the kids had so much fun.  On his second game, he did really well too.  He got the ball several times and kicked it.  It was taken away by the other team.  He is not too fast yet but he is learning.  I am just so proud that he is getting in there and getting the ball.  Awesome Job Alan!

Weekend - Boat and Museum

We went on our first Harbor Cruise around the Charleston Downtown area.  We learned so much about the history of the place we live in.  The kids had a lot of fun going for their boat ride.  It was a bit long 1.5 hours but they did great.  Towards the end the kids were get antsy to get off the boat but we had a great day on Saturday.

On Sunday, we took the kids to the Children's Museum and had so much fun.  The kids really love the pirates boat and the castle.  They enjoy pretending the boat is being attacked by a large whale with big teeth.  Its really amazing at how their little imaginations run wild.  We ate at Denny's for lunch and Alan finished all his lunch (without coercion)  Yippee!  We also shared a banana split at the end which Alan really enjoyed.  Katie barely ate her lunch and did not like the banana split but she is still suffering from all her new teeth.  Overall had another awesome day on our family outings.

Success with Me Bag

Alan presented his "Me Bag" on October 1, 2010 in front of his Kindergarten Class.  His teacher wrote a note letting me know he got up in front of class and talked about his "Me Bag".  He also answered questions and thanked his class for listening.  This is a huge thing with Alan.  He is a shy boy and usually shuts down when he is put on the spot or has to speak in front of a large group.  I was SUPER excited that he did this and hoping his show and tells have success in the future.  I wish that I could have had a video of his presentation.  I am hoping next time there is a show and tell I am able to go and video him.